


Home

by FoxtrotFever



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Blade of Malmora!Keith, But never moves on, First Kiss, Keith goes away for a long time, Kinda sweet tbh, Lance learns to cope without him, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Shiro isn't a clone in this ok pretend it's not Kuron, Small bit of angst, long distance, lots of fluff, reunited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 17:29:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12370533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FoxtrotFever/pseuds/FoxtrotFever
Summary: "Keith! I love you!""... I love you too, Lance."





	1. Part 1

"Keith! I love you." Lance shouted from the doorway of the hanger of the ship Keith would be departing in, he watched in anticipation as the latter boy turned his head to look over his shoulder at him one final time.

"... I love you too, Lance."

-

That was the last time they spoke to each other, the day Keith left the castle to join the Blade of Malmora permanently on their missions. That moment they shared was the only time they'd spoken to each other in an intimate way, disclosing their feelings to each other with a final conversation between them as though their confessions would give them something to look forward to whenever Keith got back.

But that was 5 years ago now, and Keith hadn't come back.

For a long long time, Lance waited through patiently with the hope of seeing the mullet boy back on the ship, back in his place on the team with his lion, but more importantly back in his arms so they could pick up where they left off. Of course, Lance never told anyone bar Hunk about this exchange, to which Hunk cried more than Lance did about how sad the situation they'd found themselves in was. Keith was now gone for who knows how long, leaving his recently openly declared lover behind with his makeshift misfit family, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

Everyone else on the ship seemed to be coping fine with Keith's departure, slowly they went back to their normal routines and everyday life with only the occasional slip up like Hunk setting out an extra plate at meal times or Pidge almost attempting to find him whenever she found out a new fact that added to their old conspiracy theories they had about different alien species and planets. Even Shiro seemed to falter occasionally when he was looking across the hologram map of the galaxy, he'd turn back as though to talk to someone, then stop short and found himself going quiet for a moment or so.

Lance found it difficult to adapt at first, not having anyone to train with or just chill with in the common room after missions or difficult days. Towards the end their time together had grown immensely, with them voluntarily choosing to hang together instead of alone in their rooms. The silence he was now accompanied by was deafening. The others had made attempts to spend time with him, all but Shiro succeeded at first. Shiro, being Keith's brother by blood, resembled the boy Lance was pining for fairly well; No one understood until a couple of weeks in of Shiro failing to bond with Lance, he cracked.

"Every time I look at you it hurts me because you look so much like him and it reminds me of how long I have to wait before this pain will come to an end."

Shiro left him alone after that. He gave him time, as much time as he wanted, deciding that Lance would open up to him whenever he wanted, this wasn't something Shiro could force. Of course, Shiro knew all about the undisclosed and unlabelled 'thing' that was going on between the pair whilst they were on the ship together. The chemistry between them when they joked and argued as if they were a married couple was something even a blind person could've seen. When the day Keith left came, no one was suprised to see the Cuban tearing up as they watched Keith go, but everyone was surprised at how easily he was willing to let him leave.

Shiro knew more than the rest of them though, Keith had confided in him many times (similar to how Lance had with Hunk) about the feelings he was having for the tanned, freckled boy. Much to Shiro's annoyance, Keith had rejected any attempt Shiro made at convincing him to confess to the latter boy. He understood that he was scared of his feelings not being reciprocated, but from an outside perspective Shiro knew that he had nothing to be worried about. However, despite neither Lance nor Keith telling him about their brief exchange, Shiro knew something had happened between the two before Keith had left than that night. It was clear in the way Lance was fine, and then immediately shut himself out and avoided Shiro like the plague.

Time passed and eventually Lance came around, warming back up to Shiro as though he was the only thing left of Keith on the ship. For Lance things never wholly went back to how they were before, no matter how hard he tried there was always something missing inside of him.

-

In the early hours of the morning the castle detected an incoming rebel carrier ship requesting permission to land in the bay of the castle, to which Coran accepted as they'd long ago allied with the rebels to combat against the galra and so it was no uncommon event for a ship to sometimes dock inside one of the bays while they needed refuelling or restocking with supplies. Coran greeted them alone as he was the only one awake at that time, there was a large variety of species they hadn't yet come into contact with personally, but Coran knew them through his computer database as to who they were and where they came from. Each one was grateful and thanked Coran for the hospitality, which was common for Coran to hear as when time passed more and more began to make short visits to the paladins ship. What Coran didn't expect though, was to see a head of jet black hair peaking out from above the aliens. Now this one, was from a species he knew quite well, one he lived with and saw as his adopted family. This one in particular being someone he never thought he'd see again. He looked at the person before him, who had left as a boy and returned as a fully grown man, their eyes locking tight on each other as he grinned at the Altean in front of him.

"It's good to be home."

"... Keith?" Coran's eyebrows furrowed, "is that you?"

"Yeah it's me," He smiled warmly, "how've you been Cora-" the ginger altean squeezed him into a hug so tight it was almost bone crushing, rivalling the ones Hunk used to give. Being here at last reminded him of the family he'd left behind and all he'd missed while he'd been away. "It's been a long time, I know."

"Too long." The older man croaked as though he was upset, and it was then that Keith noticed that the both of them had small tears pricking at their eyes. "It's not been the same without you here my boy, how long are you here for?"

"Hopefully, for good." They smiled as Coran squeezed him again.

"The team will be most pleased to hear this. They're asleep as of now, and so should you be too. Do you need anything before you rest? I can whip up some food for you if you need replenishing?"

"I should be fine, thank you, Coran." He embraced the older man once more before he departed for the maze that was the castle corridors.

He crept quietly along the corridors to the one which held their old rooms, hoping they'd stayed in the same place since he'd been away for so long. He needed to sleep, but he couldn't help himself, not while Lance was finally so close within his reach. He entered the old code he remembered into the keypad beside where Lance's room was, watching as the screen turned green and the doors slid open in front of him.

Spread out on the bed was the boy his heart had been yearning for all this time, the one who's words had motivated him to survive through every mission so that he could come home. He needed to come back home, and his home was wherever Lance was. He walked across the room until he was stood over the latter boy, in any other situation where Keith would've been thinking through his actions he would've known that standing above someone and watching them sleep is mildly stalkerish, but for now he didn't care.

He took in the sight before him, the way Lance's lips parted slightly as he breathed, the way his hair cascaded across his forehead. His skin was rougher than he remembered, small scars dotted across his skin from battles in which Keith hadn't been there to save him. He looked older, more mature in his appearance. But at the same time he looked like almost the same innocent kindhearted teen Keith remembered, his snores lightly filling the room in between his shallow breaths.

Keith reached out a hand and caressed the tanned cheek softly, watching as the eyebrows of the sleeping boy crumpled slightly as he began to stir awake. He cracked open one of his dazzlingly beautiful blue eyes, eyeing Keith suspiciously as if he were not convinced that he was really there.

"Keith?" His voice spoke softly, below a whisper.

"Hi Lance-" Lance's hand grabbed onto the shirt Keith was wearing and pulled him roughly down onto the bed beside him so that he lay on his back, Lance rolled onto him so that he was lying down on top of him, his legs tightly wrapped around the black haired boy. His head settled on Keith's chest with a content sigh.

"Don't leave me." Lance mumbled against his chest.

"I'm never going away again."

-

In the morning Lance woke with a start, having no recollection of last night, feeling something squishy beneath him that he didn't recognise as his usual duvet or mattress. He peaked his eye open and was confronted with a face full of black material. All his senses seemed to rush back into action at once; the feeling of a firm arm wrapped around his shoulders, the legs curved around his, the musky smell he'd been craving for since forever.

_There's no way he's here. There's no way he's home and in my bed right now._

He pressed his hands (which in the process he had to let go of the black material he seemed to be clinging to) against the mattress and leant up to take a look at the sleeping figure. His heart pounded at the sight. Keith was here. He was home, finally. Somehow he was in Lance's bed but he wasn't going to question it incase it led to him leaving it. The hair of the latter boy had grown a considerable length, now long enough to be in a decent bun which he was currently rocking in Lance's opinion. Then again, Keith could be wearing the ugliest outfit in the entire universe and Lance would still say he's the most beautiful thing he's ever seen.

He carefully wriggled his way up the bed so that their positions mirrored each other, chest to chest, forehead to forehead. Lance knew that right now he was incredibly sweaty, which can't be the most attractive thing in the world but who was he to care when the love of his life was finally home. Lance continued to stare at him longingly, allowing tears to stream from his eyes and down his cheeks, the occasional one dropping down onto Keith's cheeks below him. Somewhere along the way he also stirred awake, purple eyes fluttering open to look up at him. Neither said anything, neither had any words to say, nothing could express how many strong emotions were running between them as they gazed affectionately.

Keith moved his hand up and wove it into the strands of Lance's thick brown hair, pulling his head down gently to meet their lips together for the first time since they'd met. Internally, Lance was annoyed he hadn't made the first move whilst he was distracted, but he wasn't annoyed enough to let it bother him. Their eyes closed, lips moving slowly yet forcefully. This was something that was long overdue, and hell Keith wasn't about to let the opportunity slip by him again. It was slow and a bit messy, but it was at the same time sweeter than Keith could've ever imagined. And he did imagine while he was away, hundreds of times, but none of those compared to the real thing.

When they broke apart they weren't sure how long had passed, but from the hot strings of saliva now hanging between their flushed faces they could tell it had been a while.

"Hi." Lance broke out into laughter, making Keith frown lightly. "What's so funny?"

"You've just got back and before you even speak a word we're making out on my bed, I think we've passed formalities Keith."

"I guess you're right." Keith smiled up at him, making Lance's heart beat uncontrollably. "I just missed you so much I guess I couldn't help myself." He shrugged.

"Yeah, I get it, I've missed you too."

 


	2. Part 2

The pair stayed in bed all morning, eyes teary and arms firmly embracing each other as if it was the last they'd ever share, when in fact it was their first.

They had to get up at dinner as they needed food (Shiro's routine of self and team care had improved since Keith had left, which meant that if Lance hadn't turned up to the meal he would come knocking sometime soon to bring it to him) and Lance wanted to clean himself up so that Keith didn't see him as the slob he sometimes turned into when he had a rough day.

They both showered (not together, which disappointed Lance but he wasn't going to say anything) and changed into a fresh pair of clothes, Lance brought Keith some of his old clothes they'd kept in his room even after he'd left but they were too small now and so he ended up borrowing some of Lance's clothes, which neither of them complained about as Lance loved the look of him wearing his clothes and Keith found the smell of the other male comforting.

Before they left Lance's room they shared unspoken words through their eye contact, their bodies throughout the morning had seemed to gravitate towards each other so it was no surprise to either of them when their hands drew closer and linked fingers carefully as though they were testing the waters. As if they hadn't made out for half the morning and cried the other half of the time.

Keith nodded at him as he looked towards the door, and the pair set of on their trip to the kitchen. On the way they weren't distributed, which Keith was thankful for because he had yet to figure out in his head what he was going to say to them all. Apparently the distance wasn't enough time though, as soon enough he found them at the doorway of the kitchen looking out into the familiar room.

Hunk and Pidge sat down conversing at the table, Shiro sat not much further away with Coran, the pair looking a bit fidgety in their seats, and the mice with their own bowls of food. Hunk looked up as they entered (assuming to see his friend Lance), only to become shell shocked at the sight before him.

"KEITH?"

All heads now turned their way, none faster than Shiro who was up and out of his seat in milliseconds, embracing his younger brother tightly as the two shook with happiness at their family being reunited after being apart for so long. The others soon joined the hug, Pidge jumped at Keith and clung to his back like a koala bear, whereas Hunk simply grabbed Lance and enveloped the whole group into his wide arms. They stayed like that for a while, holding each other and appreciating the feeling of being complete again.

They eventually dispersed and dragged Keith down to the table where he was presented with his midday meal, to his surprise whilst he'd been gone Hunk had managed to advance his cooking skills with the food goo and minimal range of ingredients that humans could have. The food he and Coran made now resembled more solid foods and dishes, some even looked like food back on earth. Keith couldn't believe he was crying at the sight of something that vaguely resembled cereal.

Shiro sat to his right and Lance to his left, their pinky fingers linking below the table as the pair dug into their meals. Hunk leaned over to Lance in his seat whilst Keith was talking to Shiro, "How longs he back for?"

"I don't know and I'm not going to ask incase it's not the answer I want-"

"He's back for good." Coran broke in from behind him, watching as the younger boy's smile grew wide. His gaze flickered towards the black haired boy, who was already looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Keith shot him a wink which had him swooning in his seat, before he turned his attention back to Shiro.

"This boy is going to be the end of me."

"Preferably not, I've just dealt with 5 years of pining lance, I'm not sure I can cope with a lifetime of grieving Keith-"

"Hey! I did not pine!" Keith giggled from beside him and Lance decided that he was willing to be embarrassed over and over for the rest of his life if it meant that he heard Keith giggle again.

"Lance, you were pining more than a Christmas tree. You're not fooling anyone."

Lance pulled a face at the other paladins at the table who were in agreement with Pidge's statement. His face exploding into a bright red when Keith lent over to place a chaste kiss to his cheek.

Keith waited patiently till the others were preoccupied to begin his long overdue conversation with Lance. "I assume from my morning wake up call that you're still single then?"

"You think I'd be able to find someone else as patient and willing to put up with me? Because if you think that then you're definitely wrong." Keith laughed as Lance pouted, their hands now brushing above the table as they held spoons in their other hands. "What about you?

"Same here. In the years we've been separated I've never met one person even remotely as interesting and entertaining as you."

"When did you get so sappy Kogane?" Lance flushed a light pink on his neck as Keith grinned.

"It's good you're single though, I guess that means you wouldn't mind me asking to be your boyfriend?"

"... I'd love that."


End file.
